The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-20
MAUNA L0A.
A TRIP TO THF FAMOUS HA-
WAIIAN VOLCANO.
Views Of the Subterranean Un.
Quenchable Fires-A Cease.
less Tide of Fiery Waves
Fifty Feet High.

scribes visit which he paid to Mauna
Loa, the celebrated volcano in the Sand
wich Islands. The journey to the crater
was made. from Hilo on horseback and
took two days. Taking up the writer's
account of the second days trip, we
quote as follows:
For another day we endured the discom-
forts of the saddle, and exposed our
well-burned noses to the scorching sun,
galloping over the rough lava plains
with rattle of hoofs and jingling of
Mexican spurs. Most of the way on this
last day, however, was a steady ascent
through forest of large ferns. As
we approach the active fires of the
volcano the face of the country looks
older and less volcanic than that more
distant. The last ten miles are over o
level grassy plain 4, 900 feet above the
the sea, full of low bushes and ferns.
The guide points to the column of
smoke rolling up from the top of Mauna
Loa, and exclaims, "Kilauea," "and we
begin to feel excitement at this evidence
OF the subterrancan, unquenchable fires,
which have had so much to do with the
formation of the whole group of the
Sandwich Islands. Our excitement is
communicated to our horses through the
spur, and they break into a gallop which
soon brings us to theedge of the crater, and
at the same time to the dooryard of a
small house called the "Volcano Hotel"
standing in green and level expanse of
lawn, with pretty flower beds and hedge
of roses blooming bountifully and fra
grantly in sweet and smiling contrast to
the mouth of the internal regions so close
at hand. Riding through several little
clouds and jets of steam issuing from
hidden crevices among the bushes, we
approach the crater's edge and look ca
gerly over into the pit below. We are
upon the edge of rocky precipice 800
feet hig n, surrounding pit or sunken
hole with an irregular circumference of
about nine and a width of about four miles.
The bottom appears to be a floor of
black, dead cinder, smooth for the
greater part, but near the opposite side
swelling up into tapering hill or cone
with broken, ragged top, from which
pour the rolling clouds of smoke which
we saw on our way here.
In the morning, before beginning the
ascent, we have time to stroll about in
search of sulphur crystals, or, if so in
clined. to take sulphur bath. The de-
scent into the crater is much facilitated
by terraccd formation of the
sides of the pit, but it is still
steep and difficult path, even more
noticeable on returning. When at
last We reach the bottom we find the
floor, which from above looked smooth,
to be a rough and broken mass of lava
blocks, or a brittle cinder which crunches
under our feet like q frozen crust of
snow, through which the foot every now
and then breaks, sinking from to %
inches to a harder surface beneath. Great
cracks yawn on every side, many of them
difficult to leap across, from which issue
putfs of steam or smoke. In one place
the floor for large space has sunk some
200 feet, breaking off abruptly from the
rest, leaving a dangerous and ugly chasm.
After about three miles of walking in a
circuitous route, we reach and climb
the hill forming the present era
ter, within which the forces of
the volcano are most actively at work,
and from which the thick clouds of
smoke come. Here the crusts are very
brittle, and it is impossible to avoid fire.
quently breaking into hot and steaming
holes. Near the top Of the hill are some
acres covered with carpet Of natural
spun glass, or fibrous obsidian, four or
five inches thick, and the fine necdle-like
points of the broken fibres are very
troublesome to those unfortunate enough
to have on low shoes. Nearing the top,
we hear a sound like the dashing of
waves, and cautiously creeping as near as
we dare to the brittle and crumbling
edge, We look down upon boiling lake
Of molten stone or lava, about $50 feet
below us, and half mile wide The heat
IS so intense we cannot look for more
than very few moments at q time with
out screening the face 1t is fiery sea of
melted lava, whose billowsy driven by
some unknown force, ntinually roll
across to the opposite side and dash
against the perpendicular walls of the
cliff with the roar and action
Of breakers, and toss their golden
spray so feet in the air in drops of liquid
IRE of brilliant yellow, changing gradu-
ally into a glowing orange; blood red,
and finally having cooled and hardened !
into globules of dark stone, fall back !
again like scattering rain into the sea !
Of fire. This ceaseless tide of fiery waves |
is continually beating on: these cliffs,
and has kindled the lower pat of them
into glowing incandescence. At inter-
vaEs there is an increased commetion in !,
the centre of the lake, q sudden increase
in its ebulition, which swells up the liquid
mass into angry, boiling and seething
waves 30 or 40 feet above the general
level, and bursting upward throws up
tremendous shower of fiery, golden
drops to the height of 200 feet above
the lake, and far higher than where We
stand, awcstruck at the magnificent
spectacle. This shower of glitter
ing jewels passes like all the
others through the various changes |
Of color, from yellow to orange, red and
dull red, until it agains falls back dull
bits of hardening stone into the lake, to
be there again melted and tossed upward
in the ccaselcss round of volcanic action. !
The fiery sea itself as we'll is constantly |
its hues and appearance, pre-
senting new and varied forms of beauty
and splendor, at which we gaze as long
and as well as our scorched eyes will per-
nit, with never ending wonder and
admiration, when at last night fell and |